V | Player Pics | A-Z of Players
Personal
Fullname: Rocco Vata
aka: –
Born: 18 April 2005
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
Signed: Celtic youth teams; 31 July 2021 (signed professional with Celtic)
Left: 5 July 2024 (to Watford, est £250k compensation)
Position: Right Midfielder
Debut: SC Wiener Viktoria 0-7 Celtic, Friendly, 6 July 2022
Debut (Competitive): 2022-12-28: Hibernian 0-4 Celtic, SP
Squad No.: 69 & 39
Internationals: Ireland
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]
Biog
Being the son of an ex-Celt isn’t easy when you’re at the club, but Rocco Vata had lesser pressure than most, as his father (Rudi Vata) played for Celtic in what was a mostly a poor era. Rocco Vata was a name that was referenced as one for the future, and there was a growing confidence in him.
As a footballer he had made his way up the youth ranks at Celtic, and had made a good reputation for himself.
He came on late in a 4-0 comfortable win v Hibernian in the league match to give him his first competitive start, aged only 17. A proud moment for both him and his family. He was to score his first senior goal in a 5-1 win over Buckie Thistle in the Scottish Cup.
The return of Brendan Rodgers and the departure of Postecoglou was the chance to make a go for the first team. However he was clearly frustrated and he was set to move in the summer of 2023 for first team opportunities but Celtic knocked back offers, and opted to keep him.
However, his contract was to end in June 2024, and there were countless talks trying to opt him to stay. His father in podcast interviews had indicated he wanted Rocco to remain at Celtic. Yet he ended up playing just twice during the next season, with many opining that he had already opted to move on despite any words to the contrary.
Some opined that he had likely already opted to move away, and that Rodgers little utilised him as knowing that Vata was not in the long-term plans. As Celtic’s fortunes swayed heavily through the last season, there were fewer opportunities to give youth players a run-out due to the risks involved.
He won gametime with the Irish national youth sides, and even turned out for Ireland U19s in the U19 Euros qualifying against Albania, the nation his father, Rudi Vata, made 58 appearances for. Rocco Vata even scored a hat-trick for the Irish U21s albeit against San Marino U21s.
He opted to move to Watford in July 2024, with Celtic to receive just the standard compensation in return (est £250k). In fairness, with the plethora of players at Celtic at the time with more to come, the competition was tough even for those established in the first team, and a change was possibly for the best. Not all were really convinced he was going to make it at Celtic, but maybe a few more opportunities were needed to prove that or not.
We wished him the best.
Post-Celtic
–
Quotes
“There’s a number now that you’ll find over the course of the next 6 to 12 months they’ll start beginning to make an impact at first-team level. I really believe that. We’ve already had Bosun and Rocco with us but there’s guys like Matthew Anderson, Ben Summers.”
Ange Postecoglu (January 2023)
“I remember Rocco as a young player from my last time at Celtic. I used to go down to Barrowfield to watch him play. You could see he had talent and he has now developed. Physically, he is really good. There are aspects of his game that he will need to work on if he is going to make the next jump. But his attitude is good, he’s strong, quick and wants to score goals. There is a lot of development that he needs and if he’s willing to do that, then he could hopefully do very well.”
Brendan Rodgers (Jul 2023)
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES (subs) |
LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2022-23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Goals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Goals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Honours with Celtic
(Honours are marked below in which the player has played in at least one of the matches in the campaign.)
Scottish League
Scottish Cup
Pictures
Forums
Notes
- –
Articles
Rudi Vata says it’s ‘right’ for son Rocco to stay at Celtic
Rocco VataImage source, SNS
Published 23 January 2024
Former Celtic defender Rudi Vata has offered some fatherly advice to son Rocco, saying that he’s not ready for a move away from Glasgow.
18-year-old Rocco has been in the Celtic youth system for 11 years, but with his contract running out in the summer, reports suggest that foreign clubs are beginning to circle.
Though their might be a hint of bias, Rudi insists his son can make an impact for Brendan Rodgers’ side if afforded the opportunity, as he did in scoring the final goal in their 5-0 Scottish Cup win over Buckie Thistle on Sunday.
“I had so many experiences,” Rudi told Bauer Ireland’s Off the Ball. “My experiences are my wealth, more or less. Rocco is a different story here. He was born in Scotland, he’s been with the club since he was seven.
“I had no freedom to think that one day I could become a Celtic player or a Bayern Munich player. In my country, at Rocco’s age, that was not possible. It was illegal to think that. The maximum you could get was to go and play for the national team. That was my dream.
“Rocco can dream to play for Barcelona, for Real Madrid, for any club, Nobody can stop him and nobody can put a barrier unless he doesn’t want to make it.
“He’s 18 still. I don’t think he’s ready mentally to move to another country. He wants to move but I don’t think he’s got it.
“All he can do is continue to work. I tell him all the time, the manager – even when he’s wrong, he is right. He’s the boss, he’s the leader. Everyone has to follow the leader.
“I think he wants to be with Celtic and I think it’s right for him to be with Celtic, to get more game time. If he gets game time, I think he’ll produce what he’s capable of producing. He’s improved a lot, he’s ready to play. All he needs to do now is get that opportunity.”